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Department of Theatre

Academic Programs

Your Theatre education and experience at Harding begins with a commitment to the liberal arts and a core curriculum shared by all our degree programs. Every student will take twenty-four hours in our core curriculum. These courses prepare you to understand the art form and the professionalism required of every theatre arts practitioner. Courses include Technical Theatre, Acting I, Theatre Forum, The Business of Theatre, World Drama, Theatre History I and II, Design I and Directing I. This core allows you to learn and experience multiple components of the art. Course descriptions are available in the HU Catalog.

Five different majors are available in the Department of Theatre. Each program is designed to help you find your role and succeed at every stage of your career.

BA in Theatre — Prepares students with broad-based knowledge and skills in the art and craft of theatre. There is a power in theatre that comes through the collaboration of creative individuals toward a larger goal. Understanding how those pieces work together is the aim of the BA in Theatre.

"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being."

- Thornton Wilder

The Theatre degree is an excellent choice for those exploring careers and their options in community theatre, regional theatre, children’s theatre, event planning, parks and recreation programs, ministry, film and other media. Your Advisor for the BA in Theatre is Mrs. Dottie Frye (dfrye@harding.edu).

BA in Acting — Prepares students for successful careers in professional acting and performance. This is a degree program available only after enrollment and by audition. The BA in Acting is focused on the profession of acting and the love of the stage.

“Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It’s not worth it if you are just in it for the money.You have to love it.”

- Philip Seymour Hoffman

The Acting degree is an intensive program designed to prepare individuals for professional opportunities in acting and directing in regional theatre, commercial and non-profit venues, the entertainment industry, west coast film/media and Broadway. Your advisor for the BA in Acting is Mr. Robin Miller (rmiller@harding.edu).

BA in Design/Production — Prepares students for careers in professional, educational and community theatre design and production. The degree offered four distinct concentration areas for study - Set Design, Costume Design, Production and Light/Sound.

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep."

- Scott Adams

The Theatre Design/Production degree is the path of professional preparation for students who choose to play their role offstage. This program is designed to prepare individuals for professional opportunities in scenic design and technical theatre, costume design and production, audio design and production, lighting design and rigging, or event and stage management . Your advisor for the BA in Theatre Design/Production is Mr. Britton Lynn (blynn1@harding.edu).

“The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem-solvers who are more confident and able to think creatively.”

- Arne Duncan

The Theatre Education degrees are designed for students who are seeking to share the art and the craft of theatre with others. The degree choices allow the student to be broad-based with opportunities to teach any grade level in communication and theatre, or to focus solely on junior high and high school students interested in theatre. Your advisor for Theatre Education is Mr. Ben Jones (bjones9@harding.edu).

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.”

- Albert Einstein

To encourage expanding the depth and breadth of imagination paired with knowledge, students at Harding can also minor in one of the areas listed below.